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THE
Eco-Waste Coalition and the Global Alliance for
Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) are calling for the
adoption of “Zero Waste for Zero Warming” as
stakeholders on waste and climate issues gather in Bali,
Indonesia, for the United Nations Climate Conference
this week.
In a
joint letter sent to the Department of Energy,
Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as to the
Philippine NGO Network for Climate Change, the two
groups called for unity and action on avoidable sources
of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from dirty
waste-disposal technologies.
“Waste
disposal is a major source of greenhouse gases and
subsidies to polluting waste-disposal technologies such
as incinerators and landfills must, therefore, cease.
“Instead, the international community should explicitly
embrace Zero Waste as a climate- change strategy as it
effectively cuts down GHG releases in both production
and disposal, while yielding other positive benefits to
the community health, environment and economy,” said
Manny Calonzo, representing both the EcoWaste Coalition
and GAIA.
Zero
Waste is the application of ecological, sustainable and
holistic policies and practices for both upstream, such
as clean production, toxics-use reduction, product
redesign, extended producer responsibility, and
downstream such as source separation, reuse, repair,
recycling and composting.
If
implemented, Zero Waste will drastically reduce
greenhouse-gas emissions from waste disposal and from
manufacturing.
The
groups said Zero Waste further reduces the volume and
toxicity of discards; promotes cleaner, safer and better
products; minimizes packaging; curbs toxic byproducts
and discharges; conserves and recovers resources;
creates green jobs and enterprises; promotes community
self-reliance and a low carbon economy; and advances the
cause of environmental health and social justice.
In their
letter, the eco-groups affirmed their hope that
governments and other stakeholders will recognize the
need for bolder steps to address the threats of climate
change, including adopting Zero Waste policies and
programs to curb GHG emissions and energy use.
“We
stand by our belief that no public money should be used
to fund projects that will bury or burn discards and
only end up releasing greenhouse gases and other
environmental pollutants, including those that are being
deceptively marketed as a ‘solutions’ to meet our energy
needs and fight global warming,” the eco groups wrote in
their letter.
“Far
from preventing GHGs and generating clean and renewable
energy, landfills and incinerators are hazards to
community health and the environment, while undermining
recycling programs and other components of Zero Waste,”
they asserted.
Studies
point to landfills and incinerators as major sources of
GHG emissions to the atmosphere. Landfills account for
34 percent of human-related emission of methane, which
has 23 times more heating trapping power than carbon
dioxide.
When the
full extent of carbon emissions coming out of the stack
of incinerators are considered, incinerators emit
significantly more greenhouse gases per kilowatt of
electricity generated than coal-powered plants.
The
EcoWaste Coalition and GAIA are concerned about the
apparent omission of Zero Waste in the global, as well
as in national, climate policy and plan of action, and
the flow of funds for GHG-producing waste-disposal
projects such as the so-called sanitary landfills and
waste-to-energy incinerators.
The
groups are campaigning for the active promotion of Zero
Waste, globally and locally, and the provision of
essential technical assistance, funding support and
investment incentives for Zero Waste alternatives to
landfills and incinerators. |
